


Undercovers

by F1_rabbit



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Law Enforcement, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-22 20:22:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7452748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F1_rabbit/pseuds/F1_rabbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's an arms deal going down and they need their best agents on the job, but Paula and Nicola haven't spoken in eighteen months.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Undercovers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [honeybadgerindisguise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeybadgerindisguise/gifts).



"I need your two best agents."

"That would be di Resta and Hulkenberg…"

"Are they already working on an assignment?"

"No, there was a case that went bad, and they haven't worked together since."

"This case is urgent, I need the best. Do you think that they can behave?"

"We'll have to wait and see."

***

Nicola was running, alarms blaring as she jumped down the stairs three at a time, bursting through the fire door and glancing around the alley before sprinting off towards the main street.

She was nearly at the end of the road when she could see the blue flashing lights. Darting back the way she came she rushed towards the end, no sign of any other exits, when a plain black car with blue flashing lights in the grill blocked the way.

Nicola turned to see that the other end of the alley was blocked, she was surrounded.

She didn't have her gun, it didn't fit with being an office temp, and the Taser was too bulky, but she did have a butterfly knife.

Nicola effortlessly flicked the knife into action, she was ready for a fight.

"I don't think you're going to need that, Agent Hülkenberg."

"Monisha?"

"You can stand down guys." Monisha stood aside so that Nicola could get in the car.

"Thanks for blowing my cover." Nicola unclipped her hair, shaking out her long blond locks as the agent in the front of the car turned round to get a good look. She shuddered, making sure that he saw her look of disgust.

"Your cover was already blown, or did you think all those alarms were just a coincidence?" Monisha handed Nicola her gun and badge, and she visibly relaxed once the cool metal of the gun was in her hands.

"They didn't need to send you to bring me in. So, what can I do for you?" Nicola sat back, crossing her legs. She knew that her boss' boss wouldn't be coming out to the field unless it was urgent, and she wasn't really one for small talk.

"One of Interpol's most wanted is in town. We need him stopped, and to do that we need our best agents on the job."

"Agents? I work alone." Nicola hadn't worked with another agent since... since _that_.

"Not on this you don't." Monisha motioned to the driver and the engine sparked into life, driving off into the night.

***

Paula had been working in a chip shop for two weeks. At first it had sounded like a great undercover assignment, all the free food that she could eat, but now she was sure that her soul was stained with chip fat.

But she'd managed to put together the whole story on the infamous Grey Gang, it turned out that there was no need to infiltrate the gang, just go undercover at their favourite chippy and listen to them chat away while drunk about all the drug deals and murders.

Paula was serving up six haggis suppers when a familiar face walked in. Nicola Hülkenberg.

She handed over the bag that was fit to bursting, and gave the customer his change, while trying to keep the surprise off her face. No-one was meant to know that Paula was here, and the odds of Nicola randomly walking in here were so low that she should really go out and buy herself a lottery ticket.

The customer looked Nicola up and down with a leer that made Paula want to kick his head in, although Nicola didn't need anyone to do that for her.

"What can I get you?" Paula asked, praying that her cover was still intact.

"Sausage supper?" Nicola said, in a soft Scottish accent that was uncanny, and Paula had to look closer to make sure that it was really the Nicola that she knew. Although it was hard to forget the woman who shot her. "Make it extra-large." Nicola smiled but it was wiped off her face when a greasy guy slid closer.

"If you want a large sausage, hen, you can have mine." Greasy guy was grabbing at his crotch and Nicola reached for where her gun would be.

"You're gonna have to take that outside, pal." Paula watched as greasy guy walked away, stopping outside the window to pull down his trackies, flashing his tiny dick before running off down the street.

"Charming." Nicola rolled her eyes and leant against the counter, watching Paula carefully to make sure that she picked out the biggest sausage, and piled on the chips, slathering them with salt, and vinegar, since she had no idea what was in the sauce so generic that it was simply referred to as 'sauce'.

Nicola ran her eyes over Paula, putting on a show for the cameras, not that she knew if the cheap looking thing in the corner actually worked. "What time does your shift finish?"

"I'll be done in half an hour." Paula smiled at Nicola, fighting the urge to scream at her, but thankfully she was a pro, and Nicola was just another customer to be served.

Nicola sat eating her chips as provocatively as she could, Paula sending her little glances and blushing when she caught her gaze. It was so good that people would really have believed that they were flirting.

Paula made sure to link arms with Nicola after she'd shut up the shop for the night, glad that Tuesday night was a quiet night, and headed back to her little flat that she was using while on this operation.

It was old eighties style architecture, tiny flats all crammed together in one small block, but it was all she needed. The bare concrete floors and beige stone walls looked awful in the flickering light, and Nicola was shocked to see that the inside of the flat looked much the same as the corridor.

"You really got the fancy assignment." Nicola made herself comfy, as Paula went to get a shower, given the time of night, whatever Nicola had to say could wait another fifteen minutes.

Paula didn't take long, wincing as she saw her scar, now that Nicola was here it seemed to be itchy, but that was just her mind playing tricks on her. It was eighteen months ago, she should have put it out of her mind by now, and yet sometimes it seemed like yesterday.

She wandered back through to see Nicola eating her chocolate, even though she should have been full from the sausage supper that she ate not more than an hour ago. Paula made sure that her towel covered her scar, she didn't want to talk about that now, all she wanted to know was why Nicola was here.

"Why are you here?" Paula asked, strolling over to the small kitchen, the flat was that tiny that only the bathroom warranted its own room. She ignored the fact that her bed was there, behind the sofa, still messy from where she'd rushed out to work earlier, although it did make the place more believable, less artificial.

"Monisha wants us to work together on a case." Nicola watched as Paula made her cup of tea, and how she deliberately made only one, even though there was enough water in the kettle for two cups.

"Is everyone else dead?" Paula laughed at her own joke, there was no reason that the two of them had to work this case. There were tons of agents all over Britain.

She sat down at the far end of the sofa, clutching at her towel as she sipped at her tea. Nicola got up and made herself a cup, using the same tea bag that Paula had just discarded, before heaping three sugars and adding a splash of milk to it.

They stared at each other, neither wanting to talk first, but in the end Nicola relented. "The arms dealer known as 'The Bullet' is in town, and this is our one chance to take him down."

Nicola went through all the details, but she left the best until last. "One of is going to be on sniper duty, and the other needs to go undercover as an escort."

Paula shook her head, she didn't think that anything could be worse than undercover in a chip shop, but she'd been wrong.

"And since you're not that pretty, I guess you'll just have to be the sniper." Nicola shrugged, smirk on her face, and Paula was relieved, but if Nicola knew that she didn't want to do it, she would make her do it out of spite.

Paula flipped her the finger, and Nicola took a deep breath. "Can I sleep here?"

"On the sofa, sure." Paula headed for her chest of drawers that had dresses hanging from a small rusty rack next to it, she pulled on a nightie over her towel, making sure that she was covered before wriggling to free the towel, slinging it over the bathroom door as she headed to bed.

Ignoring Nicola seemed like the best course of action, but it was hard, all she wanted was for things to go back to the way they were before. But that was in the past, and there was no point dwelling on it, especially when there was an arms dealer to stop.

Nicola was gone when she woke the next morning, and there was a hand written note left by her bedside.

_I'll see you in London x_

Underneath was a kiss, in bright pink lipstick, and Paula laughed, nothing ever changed with Nicola.

***

Paula walked into headquarters, the gang were all under arrest and she'd been 'arrested' at the same time so that her cover wasn't blown, charged with conspiracy and sentenced to a minimum of five years, but that was where the paper trail ended, not that anyone should be going to look for her.

She went through security, and Monisha came down to meet her, leading her to their office for this operation. There were several agents standing around, and Nicola was leaning against the wall in the corner, looking indifferent, but Paula knew better, she was sizing everyone up, reading the room so that she could control the operation, even though she wasn't technically in charge.

The plan was simple, Nicola was going to be one of the escorts that was accompanying 'The Bullet' and the second that they had the weapons in sight, they would swoop in and arrest him. Simple.

And, if anything went wrong Paula would be in position to take out 'The Bullet' and then other agents would swoop in and arrest them.

Everyone seemed happy with the plan, but Paula felt her stomach twist, she didn't want to be the one who had to make the call if all hell broke loose.

"Anyone unhappy with the plan?" Monisha asked, and everyone shook their head, even Paula. She had a job to do, and nothing was going to get in the way of that. Not even her own nerves.

*

It was just her and Nicola in the ladies changing room, and Paula tried to get into her gear without Nicola seeing her scar, but her sports bra was a pain to put on with any grace. She looked up from arranging her breasts so it didn't feel like they were being squished into her chest, although she wouldn't have thought them big enough to cause such pain, and saw Nicola staring at her, at the scar.

"I…"

Nicola looked down, Paula didn't expect Nicola to say that she was sorry, it wasn't in her nature, but she didn't even visit her in the hospital.

Paula hurried to pull on her gear, strapping her bulletproof vest tight as she picked up the small bag with her rifle in, she'd have to assemble it once she scaled the building and climbed in through the access shaft used for lift maintenance.

"Do you remember the sign?" Paula asked, dragging her long mousy brown hair into a plait before twisting it up out of the way.

Nicola held three fingers to her hip, it was the sign she would make once the deal was done so that Paula could call in the cavalry.

"I'll see you on the other side." Paula turned and left, leaving Nicola standing shocked, and that didn't happen very often.

*

Nicola was cursing her six inch heels, she was already over six foot without them, but people just expected escorts to wear heels, and given how fancy the hotel was, there was no way that she was getting in with her flats. So, stilettos it was.

She would love to be wearing more clothes, her little crop top was little protection against the chill in the air, and her short skirt didn't cover the top of her stockings, in fact it barely covered the bottom of her bum.

But most of all, the reason she hated wearing so little, was because there was no way to hide her gun easily, and the metal detectors would have picked it up quickly anyway.

She forced a smile on her face as she sipped champagne, nodding while 'The Bullet' told her all about this time that he killed a cop, although all the information they had on him suggested that he was too much of a coward to kill someone just for the fun of it. He was more the type to shoot his way out when he felt cornered, but Nicola didn't want to put that to the test.

*

Paula was watching Nicola through the scope on her rifle. Nicola looked uncomfortable in her skimpy clothes, although no-one else would have noticed but her, but all those years working together had made them close.

If only things had been different, these last eighteen months could have been a lot easier for both of them.

Paula had to watch for the next hour as 'The Bullet' pawed at Nicola, and she ended up having to sit on his lap while the buyers were there, so that he could show her off like she was a fashion accessory.

It was all going well, and Nicola gave the signal to say that the buy was complete, just as one of the 'buyers' pulled a gun and a badge.

"Fuck, who else is working this operation?" Paula asked, and there was no response, but it didn't matter. She had her orders, take down The Bullet and keep the other people at the party safe.

The Bullet pressed his gun to Nicola's head, it was why he wanted her to sit on his lap, she was his shield, and with the risk of him shooting random people if she tried to escape, she stayed there.

Paula had a clear shot, but it was through Nicola's shoulder. Without hesitation she pulled the trigger, putting an end to it all as the rest of the agents swooped in.

She ran down to where Nicola was lying on the floor, her skin pale as she clutched at her shoulder.

"You shot me?" was all that Nicola said before the paramedics rushed in and pushed Paula out of the way.

***

Nicola blinked a few times as the world came into focus, there was a machine beeping and the walls were white. She was in hospital, and Paula was sitting nearby, watching over her.

"Is this payback?" Nicola tried to sit up but there was a pain in her shoulder pushing her back down.

"No, it was the best option to minimise loss of life and complete the mission." Paula reached out to hold Nicola's hand otherwise she was going to tear her IV out trying to reach her. "What was your excuse?"

"I did it so that your cover wasn't blown, they'd have executed you on the spot if they knew." Nicola had relived that moment over and over again in her head, bullets were flying and Paula was running away with the rest of the gang. She'd shot after them, killed two, and injured Paula as they dived into the getaway vehicle.

"You didn't even visit me in the hospital." Paula couldn't believe that she was telling Nicola this, it wasn't about being shot, that was an occupational hazard, but the fact that Nicola had left her alone in hospital to recover.

"I thought that I was the last person you'd want to see."

"No, you were the only person that I wanted to see, and you weren't there." Paula rested her head against Nicola's, looking her in the eyes. "That was what hurt the most."

"I'm sorry." Nicola's eyes watered up and Paula leant in for a kiss, her lips were so soft, and there was a hint of Irn Bru, which made her smile. It was one of the many things that had reminded her of Paula when they weren't working together, both too stubborn just to call the other.

"I love you." Paula sat back, her pale brown eyes staring into her soul as she bit her lip, waiting for a response.

Nicola intertwined their fingers, it was the most that she could do to hold Paula tight. "I love you too."

 

**Author's Note:**

> *and obviously none of this actually happened, it is all a figment of my twisted imagination ;)


End file.
